Did you know that April is National Volunteer Month?

This is very convenient for the genealogy community since the 1950 U.S. census is being released on April 1, 2022. (That’s when the mandatory 72-year privacy waiting period ends.)

Here is a list of genealogy volunteer opportunities, and some of the benefits of participating.

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Do you regret missing RootsTech 2022?

It’s not too late!

Yes, a few features are no longer available, but many of them — including 1500+ recorded sessions, on 185 topics, in 30+ languages —will be available all year long!

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This question — How are we related? — might arise when you gather with relatives during holidays. Or anytime.

Most people just laugh and change the subject.

But, next time, YOU can be the one who knows the answer!

(PRO TIP: Keep this post handy for reference!)

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Someone asked me for a list of gifts for family historians.

They had in mind gadgets and other tangible things you could wrap up with a bow. But I thought, “Most of the things I want don’t cost money and can’t be wrapped.”

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Blank genealogical pedigree chart

Uh-oh. Ancestry.com just updated their Terms and Conditions in a way that has people up in arms.

>>> SCROLL TO BOTTOM FOR UPDATES. <<<

I’m not saying I like it, but I do tend to stay calm in situations like this and wait and see what happens next.

Meanwhile, though, I want you to know about it too, because the clock is ticking and you may feel differently about it than I do.

If you want to take action, it needs to be within 30 days of when the new policy was announced, which was August 3, 2021.

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And these were just my (distant) relatives! A total of 500,000+ people attended RootsTech Connect in February 2021.

Wow! This event was a game-changer.

Even if you’re not the family historian, please keep reading. Because, in case you feel you’ve missed out, you haven’t!

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Even the cat wore a mask!

In April I wrote a blog post called Our Ancestors and the 1918 Spanish Flu, not realizing there would be more. But…of course, there’s more! This is a marathon, not a sprint, and COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon.

Note: The 1918-1919 flu pandemic was often referred to as the “Spanish Flu” because of mistaken beliefs about its origin. I use that term, too, because accuracy and political correctness are not always helpful when searching the internet. (In fact, it may have started in Kansas: How the Horrific 1918 Flu Spread Across America.)

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